Gujarati language film 21 Mu Tiffin, screened in the Indian Panorama of the 52nd International Film Festival of India, Goa, begins with a definitive sense of déjà vu. A middle-aged woman with her share issues strikes an unlikely friendship with a younger man to rediscover herself. The medium that helps them […]
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IFFI Review: ‘Taledanda’ is a heartbreaking appeal to conserve Mother Nature
The late Sanchari Vijay was an actor who, time and again, surprised us with films and performances that differed pleasantly from the hugely formulaic mainstream Kannada cinema. Showcased posthumously at the 52nd International Film Festival of India, Taledanda features him as a rural youngster named Kunnegowda ‘Kunna’ (Vijay) suffering from moderate […]
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Locarno Review: ‘Holy Emy’ is an immigrant drama with masterful strokes of body horror
“There is nothing more humbling than a body that doesn’t live up to your desires. What are we if not our bodies?”, quizzes a healer in Araceli Lemos’ fascinating debut fare Holy Emy (Agia Emy). This intriguing line exposes how powerful an element is the construct of the physical body […]
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Locarno Review: ‘Shankar’s Fairies’ is a reflective journey to 1960s India
There is nothing that equates to the tenderness of childhood. Our growing-up years are filled with endless questions, dollops of curiosity, and many mesmerizing stories. Director Irfana Majumdar’s Hindi language film Shankar’s Fairies set in 1962 portrays a network where a bright little girl Anjana (Shreeja Mishra) forges a bond […]
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‘Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam’ review – a chatty, inventive take on relationships
Director Don Palathara’s Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam is a film set entirely in a car. No, the vehicle does not become an imposing prop that offers extra dramatic possibilities (not even an allegory) at any point. Palathara’s film, clearly, is no commercial potboiler belonging to the ilk of Titanic, Air Force […]
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Tribeca Review: ‘7 Days’ gives arranged marriage dates a COVID-19 twist
The COVID-19 pandemic which has been quietly crippling our lives for several months (it’s not over yet) is bound to be a scheming antagonist in numerous films in the years to come. With Roshan Sethi’s 7 Days, the deadly virus has already entered the rom-com territory. One that narrates the […]
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Tribeca Review: ‘Last Film Show’ is a bittersweet ode to cinema from the Indian countryside
Director Pan Nalin’s Gujarati language film from India, Last Film Show is filled with poignant, dramatic lines. The cinema-smitten Samay (an endearing Bhavin Rabari) is once told by a well-wisher, “As politicians tell stories to win votes, shopkeepers tell stories to sell their stuff, the rich tell stories to hide […]
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’36 Chowringhee Lane’: An Aching Ode To Calcutta, Anglo-Indians, and Old Age
36 Chowringhee Lane which released 40 years ago was Aparna Sen’s debut directorial effort. It is named after a building where Miss Violet Stoneham (Jennifer Kendal) resided. Having stumbled upon the film about two decades back, I wondered why it was named so. After all, the story was all about […]
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‘The Great Indian Kitchen’: A Giant Stride Towards Cinema Renaissance in India
“The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” – Here’s a famous saying that we have been conditioned to believe. Men are supposed to savour all the delicacies in the world. Women are supposed to serve them with love. As compensation, she will make way to his […]
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‘Cowboys’ review – Anna Kerrigan’s genre-bending debut is all about raising a queer child
There is something alarmingly earnest about Anna Kerrigan’s debut feature outing Cowboys. How would one, a conservative parent, react when his/her child turns out to be gender-nonconforming. We are talking about a child, not a teenager facing the so-called hormonal fluctuations. The mom is in denial and the dad attempts […]